Remaining Fixtures/Results/Points/Position Predictions

I see Mellish got a straight red for Carlisle yesterday. If they don’t appeal it or any appeal is unsuccessful then he misses the last game of the season and legs 1 and 2 of the playoffs.

It was for a shove on Elliott Watt who went down holding his face despite the shove being nowhere near his face…..

 

Stockport are the one that worries me. Easily the best team since they won at our place (they've had a run similar to our late September 98' onwards) and a manager who just always gets promotions. This would be Challinors 7th and the six previous ones, have all been at clubs that have then fallen back as soon as he left.

I also think they are the only one of our rivals that are perhaps genuinely better than us.

So if we don't get automatic - happy for them to get it, instead of Northampton!!

 

Stockport are definitely the team I'd want to avoid if it is to be the play offs, but I suspect they would probably say the same about us!

 

Nobody will want to play us.
They’ll be fearful of our away form and coming to VP for a playoff semi final is much different to a regular league game.

 

Just ask Burton Albion, or for the oldies Blackpool.

 

Think I’d prefer 1st leg to be away this time. Hopefully bring a lead back to VP.
Plus it means the home leg is midweek which makes it easier for fans to attend.

 

Sounds like they are appealing. Salford had the same thing happen last week, they had a lad sent off for a push, lad fell down rolling om the ground and a straight red. Overturned a few days later, looks like this one is pretty identical.

 

Watt should have received a red too for his part in it all.

 

Indeed. It was spectacularly pathetic.

 

I wonder if he’d dare do that against Cook, Smallwood or Stubbs! It was really rat behaviour and one of the biggest problems in professional football.

 

They should either rescind the red for the Carlisle player or issue a retrospective red to Watt.
The offence was the same from both players

 

There's no defence for it, only an cheating arsehole feigns injury to get a fellow player sent off.

 

You are right.
It’s virtually every match at every level.
Any contact anywhere near the head is now resulting in players rolling about and trying to get players sent off.

 

Spot on!

 

From a selfish point of view, Mellish stands and because the ref clearly didn’t see Watt do exactly the same, a retrospective red for young Elliott

 

We need to finish 4th or 5th so we are home in the second leg of the playoffs.

 

I remember when we played Cheltenham away in 2015/16 after already securing a playoff place and we played a full strength team. Andrew Davies received two yellow cards and was sent off.

 

Don’t forget they bought their way into the Prem by overspending in the first place. Unless a club is owned by a third world Arab oil country or Americans with money to waste, or Russians with money to launder, its pretty exceptional for clubs to be financially viable in the top two divisions.